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Should I Quit?

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    Should I Quit?

    Hi,

    I am an IT contractor (Banking) with about 3 yrs of contracting experience. I have just started a new contract at a reputed bank and have found myself in tulip.
    The line manager that I report into is a crazy person. I am hired to work as a Systems Analyst, however my manager is unreasonably giving me work that has nothing to do with my skills - printing documents (100s of papers in a day not used for any valuable purposes), booking meeting rooms, calling team members to find out if they are at home/office, carrying his laptop to the meeting rooms and back. I did this unwillingly for a few days, but now this has become a standard practice.

    He will stand behind me, see what I am working on and then suddenly ask me to work on something new (which was not previously spoken about). He frequently changes his mind, which causes a lot of re-work; no extra time allowance given for the re-work. Doesn't provide clear instructions as to what needs to be delivered, causing a lot of confusion; think he is himself unclear about the deliverables. The other thing is unlike seasoned experts, he is unable to layout a plan for the day; this guy gives me 20 different things to do in a day, and says everything is urgent and required now. Since I have joined, I have never had my lunch at normal times, its always 3 or 4pm. I have requested him to give me a 15min break to grab a bite, but the guy just doesn't listen. If I am eating at my desk, he stares at me and says - "can we finish xyz first? look at me, I don't go out for lunch". He asks me to call people for status updates and abruptly grabs the phone in his hand while I am in the middle of a conversation. He is always late in approving my timesheets, missed payments a few times now. When I come back from the toilet, his frequent remark is "it took you too long, i was looking for you. I usually don't get up from my seat until a job is done." He uses the company phone to make a lot of personal calls during the day which extend to about 10-20mins every time and in the middle of his phone call, he checks on me asking "are we done, this should be done in the next 10mins"; feels really rude.

    Have enough money to see myself for 2-3 months. Should I take this crap or quit immediately? Have spoken to him (and to the HR/agency separately) a few times about his behavior in a polite manner but no results. Instead, the guy got back to me saying, you have a bad attitude towards work.

    Thanks

    #2
    Is this for real ? I cannot believe anybody could be so narcissist in a corporate environment.

    If I was you I would have walked out the moment I was told to carry his laptop. Carry your own laptop!
    Vote Corbyn ! Save this country !

    Comment


      #3
      what were you actually taken on to do?

      If what you are doing is outside the spec of the contract then either strap a pair on and telll him your only doing what you were taken on to do (and expect to get walked from the building) or, keep invoicing and find another contract and then walk, either way make sure it drops the kn*bhead in the s**t when you do go

      Comment


        #4
        Just tell him if he wants you to act like his bitch then you'll have to charge a few hundred an hour not a day.

        Comment


          #5
          Wow this is unreal i did not think this sort of stuff was still happening in a Corporate environment. If you have enough save up to last you 2-3 months it may be best to look for another contract elsewhere. Good luck!

          Comment


            #6
            This is totally crazy!! How do you put up with this? i would have quite a long time ago.

            Comment


              #7
              if this is all true then get out as soon as you can, how much notice do you have to give?
              sufficiently advanced stupidity is indistinguishable from malice - Asimov (sort of)

              there is no art in a factory, not even in an art factory - Mixerman

              everyone is stupid some of the time - trad.

              Comment


                #8
                Well, something needs to change. If you're operating via your own Ltd Co and you've declared yourself outside IR35, then running errands for him, carrying his laptop, being his bitch, etc, puts you in danger of falling foul of an HMRC investigation as you're working a little bit too much like a permie.

                If you can handle having your contract terminated, I'd consider pushing back considerably, not letting him dictate to you how you do your work, and managing upwards as much as possible.

                Essentially, when he's pissing and moaning about needing a bit of work done by a certain time, I'd explain why it's not being done. I'd take a full lunch break and not allow him to tell me when I can and can't go on on lunch.

                Basically, I'd still be a very good contractor, I'd just start dictating how things should be done. You'll probably be walked off site, as this guy sounds like a dick tbh, but at least you'll be exerting some control.

                Probably bad advice, it's just what I'd do in this situation.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by GillsMan View Post
                  Well, something needs to change. If you're operating via your own Ltd Co and you've declared yourself outside IR35, then running errands for him, carrying his laptop, being his bitch, etc, puts you in danger of falling foul of an HMRC investigation as you're working a little bit too much like a permie.

                  If you can handle having your contract terminated, I'd consider pushing back considerably, not letting him dictate to you how you do your work, and managing upwards as much as possible.

                  Essentially, when he's pissing and moaning about needing a bit of work done by a certain time, I'd explain why it's not being done. I'd take a full lunch break and not allow him to tell me when I can and can't go on on lunch.

                  Basically, I'd still be a very good contractor, I'd just start dictating how things should be done. You'll probably be walked off site, as this guy sounds like a dick tbh, but at least you'll be exerting some control.

                  Probably bad advice, it's just what I'd do in this situation.
                  Don't want to pour cold water on the, generally, good advice that gets handed out round here, but can any of the people who regularly say things like this about 'putting you inside Ir35' ever actually been through an IR35 investigation ?

                  Hands up if you have.

                  Other than that, the advice is good. Boss sounds like a dick. Invite him out into the street for a smoke, then smack him one.
                  When freedom comes along, don't PISH in the water supply.....

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by TestMangler View Post
                    Don't want to pour cold water on the, generally, good advice that gets handed out round here, but can any of the people who regularly say things like this about 'putting you inside Ir35' ever actually been through an IR35 investigation ?
                    I was thinking pretty much the same thing, how would HMRC know that you carried someones laptop???

                    Comment

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